upcoming events in perth and western australia

Want to find like minds for your kids? Here you will find links to any upcoming events relating to gifted children that are local to Western Australia. These events provide gifted kids with the opportunity to socialise with other children with similar interests. Seeing these children play together is just a wonderful experience. When they are together they no longer feel such a sense of difference, as can be the case when they are with same age peers. You will also find links to any upcoming conferences or online ‘chat’ sessions that are made available globally to parents of gifted children, or interested individuals and professionals working in the field. Please note this page acts as a public notice board; all services or events are independently run and, unless mentioned otherwise, are not affiliated in any way with Mermaids and Mermen.

Want to meet up with other parents of gifted children and find friends for your kids? Why not join our Facebook Group? Come and say ‘hi’! We’re a very friendly and supportive bunch .

Games’ Club for children offered by Australian Gifted Support. This group runs on the second Friday of the month in Leeming.

What we want is to see the child in pursuit of knowledge, and not knowledge in pursuit of the child. – George Bernard Shaw

Gifted and Talented Programs: 21st Dec 2015
Applications for the 2016 round of testing for WA's Gifted and Talented Programs are now open. For more information please see the Department of Education's website.
You can also find further information here: Gifted Education in Western Australia
Very best wishes to everyone sitting the test :)....

Making Friends: 16th Dec 2015 "Making friends can be hard for any child, but for socially awkward gifted children or twice-exceptional kiddos, the challenge is only multiplied. While their brains are working on overdrive, and they can have an intelligent conversation with an adult expert in the field in which they are interested, put them in...

Did you know...: 9th Nov 2015 Did you know that parents are often the most accurate identifiers of their child's giftedness? Macquarie University's Special Education Centre advise schools to:
"Take parents seriously if they ask for more challenge or for investigation of their child’s abilities. Some parents are hesitant to make the first move, so invite all...

"Your Mental Health is More Important than your Grades": 27th Oct 2015 As the frenzy of exam season arrives here in Australia, and recent research suggests that those most at risk of falling prey to exam anxiety are gifted girls, it's a good time to take stock and remember that grades are not the bee-all and end-all.
"It's no joke. A recent report from the...

Neglecting Our Brightest Students: 19th Oct 2015 "The smartest kid in class, by contrast, is not an expensive problem. A boy or girl who finishes an assignment early can be handed a book and told to read quietly while the teacher works on getting other children caught up. What would clearly be neglect if it happened to...

Giftedness: The Word That Dare Not Speak Its Name?: 27th Sep 2015
Many people, including educators and academics, state that we should not use the term 'gifted'. To be honest, there are better words that I believe suit gifted children: asynchronous, cognitively advanced, and so the list goes on! However, whilst ‘gifted’ is a loaded term, and one that is unfortunately all...